Ask HN: Is it time to give up on my side project?
I have a side project that is managed hosting for non-profits and churches. Since most are very non-technical, the premise is to remove all technical aspects from setting up/having a website. Each site is build on a pre-built WordPress theme and I take care of getting the site to functional stage, content entry, file uploads etc. etc. Basically, the user signs up, sends in their content and I hand over a completed website. The only thing they have to do is add new content if they want to. I am also part of the Microsoft Bizspark program so I am running everything on VMs built in Azure. A CDN, backups etc. etc. are also included with the hosting. In other words, I am not using some $20 reseller hosting plan for host gator.
I could be wrong, but I think my product is pretty good and there is a need of what I am offering. Clearly, I am doing something wrong because I can't get customers. I've talked to local churches/non-profits, made calls, sent emails, bought online ads, wrote guest blog posts et.c etc. Really, the only substantial, feedback I have received is that I was turned down because I don't offer "unlimited" everything like other hosts do...
I'm at the point to where I don't really see the benefit of keeping this thing going. I could be wrong but I feel like most non-profits/churches are distrusting of website companies, don't see the value in paying for quality when something else is cheaper, and the whole concept of using a website to further their vision seems like a waste of time. It seems like the only way I could get customers is to spend 80/hr a week writing content and personally meeting with people.
I want to help churches/non-profits but it seems like helping and making money is off the table. I have several other side projects I would love to dive into but I am hesitant to just give up on everything I have done so far. I highly doubt there is any 1, 2, or 3 things I could do to improve my position but I would love any feedback.
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It sounds like you either haven't identified a need or haven't identified the right solution for that need (I'm guessing the latter).
I'm willing to bet you could gather some more customer feedback, but let's consider the item you mentioned:
"I don't offer "unlimited" everything"
My guess of what the customer is telling you is that because they don't understand the technical side of things, they are worried they will end up paying more in fees / overages. Same reason cell phone companies are offering unlimited plans - they provide comfort that you won't go over.
How do hostgator and many others offer Unlimited Disk Storage & Bandwith for such a low price? Because they know that even if they posted real limits, most customers won't even go close to those, and I bet they deal directly with those that do to optimize. Saying "Unlimited" is worth the (likely small) risk to close the deal. Listen to the customer, they're telling you what they want!
Something to consider, not sure how they would respond - what if you charged by the size of the organization (churches : church members)? That would loosely approximate bandwidth, and probably make sense to your customer.
One other thing I would point out, a little customization goes a long way. Can you offer to customize the site for their organization, or their specific needs, for low cost or free? You want a recurring customer, right? Put in a little work up front (show them their possible site?) and you may have a better chance of closing the deal. IMO, for non-technical clients, it's much easier to sell them on something they can see.
I wouldn't give up on this just yet, I think it's a nice niche, but you really need to understand the customer needs and why they would or wouldn't make a purchase decision.
Definitely add an unlimited plan at a higher price point if that's what they have voiced concerns over previously.
Plus committees like choice so lay out a few options/plans and detail out things they might ask about.
I would stress things like unlimited, custom, support, CMS and downplay things like wordpress/themes.
I would also offer a higher price point where you maintain their website . . . maybe with once a month or once a week batches of changes . . . this could minimize WP training and them breaking things trying to learn WP or stressing about having a member make updates.
btw, if you get a client taxing the limits of the bandwidth you were expecting them to use on your azure vm set them up on a shared hostgator plan . . . just set the price point of the unlimited so you can cover that if needed.
"my nephew is good with computers - he can do that!"
Think about expanding your services to include things their nephew can't do . . .
Setup donations via stripe on the website . . .
A web application for events, event sign ups, prayer lists, etc . . .
As far as decisions typically being made by committees . . . test out asking for a letter of feedback, questions, concerns from committees considering your service . . . then you'll see what they are thinking about and can respond with an outline of responses to seal the deal . . . plus use the feedback to improve your plans/marketing.
Churches do seem to be a difficult sell . . . but there are companies that do well in that niche . . . there is a local company that has a saas book keeping app with a focus on churches that I know is doing well.
I would try some recommendations you received and see what happens . . .
Good luck turning things around . . .
One of the problems with developing a product for non-profits and churches is that you run into needing to have your offering assessed by a committee before a decision can be made.
Rather than one business owner or individual being able to say yes, what happens is someone will need to propose the idea to the board/church council etc. and then it will be debated, and perhaps might get the go-ahead. More likely than not however someone in that group will have some objection, or say "my nephew is good with computers - he can do that!" It's going to be a very high-touch environment to work in, and probably not great as a side project just because of the time you will spend.
Could you perhaps target people who design sites for these organizations? They are already doing the high touch sales - perhaps you could come in as the technical partner. That way you'd be selling the reassurance of all the backend technical support, the backups, the CDN etc. but not dealing directly with the end customer but instead hopefully a local web designer who has several of these types of clients.
Then offer unlimited, right? Even if it means raising your prices, then your clients would probably like paying more knowing that pricing is predictable.
Also, I think a free trial would be nice. Just set everything up and then show it to them. Hard to say no to that.
And like patio11 recommended in one of his blog posts, write up a checklist of every feature, something that can be printed out and passed around to the decision makers.
I think you also need to make sure you're emphasizing how the site can help boost their attendance and donations and lower their administrative costs. And on that note, have you added many donation-related features? E.g., a meter to reach goals, themed donation drives, paypal/credit integration, and maybe an online merch store for church goods?
Who is your target customer? You mention churches and non-profits, but why do they build/setup a website. How is your product helping them address this?